Im Trying to Stop breastfeeding-OUCH! I Need Some Tips.

I took hot showers and expressed in the shower just until I felt relief then put reusable ice packs in my bra until they warmed up, I did this for a week or so and it was a breeze. It just takes time.

Bless your heart - gallon size drums. Whew! Okay, here are some things to do:

Limit your fluids.

Buy a head of cabbage (no kidding) and peel off the big leaves, score the great big veins with a knife, and put them inside your bra cups. They are nice and cold which will help your breasts feel better. However, that's not why you use them. There is a chemical between the cabbage and your sweat and milk that helps dry you up. When the leaves get wet and limp, change them out for new leaves. Keep it up the whole time you are trying to dry up your supply. This comes directly from the lactation specialists at the hospital.

Take tylenol for the pain.

Wear a tight bra or bind your breasts around your bra.

If you are rock-hard, get in the shower and let the warm water run over your breasts, and hand express a little milk as your breasts soften up some. But only express a little bit. The act of pumping tells your breasts to make more milk - the opposite of what you want.

Is she taking formula? I wouldn't stop pumping unless she is happy taking a bottle of formula. The last thing you want is a strike on formula while you are in the middle of drying up your milk.

Good luck!
Dawn

The only way to do it is to drop feeding slowly. I hear you about your daughter but there are ways to deal with these "Nursing Strikes". You need to nurse her in a very quiet boring place so there is nothing going on besides feeding time. If you want to stop nursing, keep pumping but pumping is so time intensive in my opinion. Just keep at it and over time, your breasts will start making less milk. You are really "lucky" to be making so much! I wouldn't give up so quickly on your daughter nursing though...

The only way to can get painless weaning is if you do it slowly. If she isn't feeding anymore, keep pumping and drop one pumping session a week. Also when you pump don't completely empty your breasts, just pump enough to relieve the discomfort and your body will automatically produce less milk.

Binding you breasts and wearing a tight bra will also help... but if you want to go pain free, slow is the way to go.

Good luck!

Drop one session every 4 or 5 days, not all at once!

Don't pump for a long time. Only pump for a few minutes until you have taken the engorgement out, and try to do it less time each session. (consider storing this milk in a deep freezer where it will keep for 3-4 months, it comes in handy during flu season when baby is sick and you can only give her clear liquids and she hates juice!!)

Better yet, instead of pumping, soak in a warm, almost HOT, bath for awhile, and then, with your breast submerged in the warm water, squeeze out just enough milk so there are no lumps left. After you do this, your breast will have that 'empty' feeling as if you just nursed. It hurts at first, but after you get used to it it really relives the engorgement. Be sure that if you have one really sore area that you massage that area and squeeze gently to get the milk out of that clogged duct.

My lactation consultant recommended I take a supplement called Lecithin (1 tablet 3x a day) and I think it helped the clogged ducts I ended up with. She also said it helps with weight loss... thats always a plus.

I bought these lansinoh 'thera pearl' heating pads at walgreens and used them a ton. they helped a lot. don't get them too hot, the skin is so sensitive in that area it doesn't take much heat.
http://www.lansinoh.com/products/therapearl

Buy a cabbage and put the leaves in your bra until it gets wilted and then switch out with a new leaf. This will help the inflammation and help dry up your milk. You will stink like farts while wearing this, so don't do it in public. sorry, but its true.

Be careful you don't just quit cold turkey or you can end up with mastitis! If you are engorged and in pain, don't just ignore it. If you get a red inflamed area on your breast, a fever, the chills, or feel like you have the flu, you may have developed mastitis which must be treated by a doctor.

I found that day 5 and 6 were the worst for engorgement (and this was even after weaning VERY SLOWLY so that at the end I only nursed her once at night, but when I cut that one out I still got very engorged). I actually went to the OBGYN who checked me out and told me I had clogged ducts and to do all of these things and come back in 3 days if it wasn't better (or if I got the above symptoms of mastitis!). It was better in 3 days. The hot baths, squeezing out the clogged areas, and heatpads really helped.

You must do it gradually!
Keep pumping at least a few times a day, and then gradually (over a week or so?) cut it down to once a day, cutting the amount you pump each time as well.
Good luck!

You don't want to just stop pumping cold turkey that can cause you lots of pain. If possible pump at least once to twice a day for at least a week then cut back slowly. I know it's a pain but if you get mastitis it will be a bigger pain!! Keep an eye out. If they get really red and feel like they have a fever go to the dr right away. If you don't you will be in a LOT of pain. I had to quit with my oldest about that age and that's when I got it the worst. I had heard that the cabbage leaf thing works but never did it. So that's worth a shot too.

Good luck and God Bless!!!!

Don't stop right away unless you have to.

Here is what I did when I engorged. Keep ice packs in the house and almost constantly on. Do NOT FOR ANY REASON PUMP. It makes them think you are still nursing. And find the big huge ace wraps and have hubby wrap you up (saran wrap works as well). You do it tight but not not to were you cannot breath. Took me about two weeks, it was painful but I had no choice. Baby did not come home with me kind of no choice.

Slowly slowly slowly. You can't just stop all at once.

You should drop the daytime pumping sessions one at a time, and only drop 1 per week.

But, FWIW, even a really active baby will often nurse just before nap and bed when they are very tired and sleepy. If you want to keep nursing at all. Not trying to talk you out of weaning if that's really what you want to do, but many babies go through periods where they are too distracted to nurse except when sleepy, and then they have more interest again later. If you do a quick search of nursing strikes, you'll get a lot of tips on how to get through these periods.